He pinned her with his gaze, righteousness simmering in the depths of his brown eyes. “You haven’t seen evil. Not in the world you come from. I wasn’t raised in the projects or the streets, but we were very poor. My parents scraped and worked hard for everything they got. The strong preyed on the weak. All around me people tried to escape the misery with drugs, booze and gangs. I do what I do because I understand, and I know I can make a difference.”
“And you don’t think we have the same goals?” Vanessa asked, suddenly aware of the urgency that had crept into her voice. There was no getting through to this man. Her jaw was so tight she could feel a vibration in her teeth.
Mackenzie expelled a noisy breath but didn’t answer. When his glance swept over her clothes and exposed skin once more, her hands formed fists.
“So what is your plan for this assignment?” Vanessa asked. She wasn’t going to let him distract her from her goal.
Mackenzie shrugged. “Until we get some leads, it’s pretty much talking to people and getting next to them.”
She wasn’t stupid. “Yes, but first we need to know who Gena and Bianca’s friends were and who they were hanging out with.” Listening to Mackenzie, Vanessa wished she were working this mission alone.
“You’re stating the obvious,” he said frankly.
Vanessa rolled her eyes and counted to ten. If she had to argue with him about every little thing, what good was he?
Their drinks came and Mackenzie took a long swallow out of his.
“I met Annika LeVatia, one of the other models on the shoot, as I was moving in,” she said, trying another tack. “When I told her I was concerned about being in the same building where the models had been killed, she tried to shift the blame to Gena and Bianca because they were wild, knew some bad people and had probably pissed somebody off.”
“And?” Mackenzie put his glass back on the table.
“And I got a weird vibe from her. I think she knows more. My credentials may be different from yours, Mackenzie, but I’ve got very good instincts when it comes to people.” That’s how I already know you’re a narrow-minded ass.
He perked up, drew a little notebook and ink pen from his pocket and made a few notes. “Annika has been staying there for about a year. There’s a good chance she does know something we could use. I’ll keep an eye on her, too.” His gaze turned inward. “Let me know if you come up with anything.”
Not trusting herself to say more, she sipped her chardonnay, certain she should have ordered something stronger.
Mackenzie flipped to the front of his notebook. “While I was in the office I put in some time researching and correlating the airplane trips that Gena and Bianca have taken in the past three or four months. There’s a steady pattern of visits to the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands. I’ve already contacted their charge card companies and ordered copies of their charges for that period.”
“Good,” she commented. “Let me know if you come up with anything.”
His head came up and their gazes locked combatively. Neither looked away until the waitress arrived with their food. It was delicious. Fortunately, Vanessa had sense enough to eat only half. The other half she had the waitress pack to go.
She watched Mackenzie eat double-chocolate cheesecake while she nibbled at fresh fruit compote. Her stomach whined. Embarrassed, she hoped he would ignore it.
Mackenzie glanced up, licking the chocolate off his full bottom lip. “Still hungry?”
She set her back against her chair, trying to convince herself that there was nothing erotic about what he was doing. “I have to watch what I eat.”
“There’s plenty here if you’d like to taste some of this,” he offered.
Sizing him up, she wondered whether he was really trying to be nice, or trying to make her feel bad about having to starve herself to stay thin for the camera. “Thanks, but no thanks,” she managed to say. She couldn’t eat any of it. Being hungry all the time was one of the things she’d hated about being a model.
Vanessa drank all her water and signaled the waitress for more. It helped fill some of the empty space in her stomach.
“When do we start shooting the swimsuit fantasies?” she asked.
“Day after tomorrow, so get some sleep.”
Inside, Vanessa bristled. Was he trying to say she looked tired?
“The shooting schedule should be in your welcome packet at the condo,” he added.
“Are you doing all of my shots?” she asked, wondering how good he was. Having been away from the industry for more than two years, she hadn’t heard of Mackenzie. Her friend Keifer Jonas, the senior photographer on the magazine project, had an excellent reputation and a portfolio to die for.
Mackenzie’s glance swept over her once more. This time it was purely professional. “I’ve got about a third of your beach and studio time. Keifer has the rest.”
“Any ideas?” She had to ask. Now that she’d come back to modeling, a lot of her future depended on the success of this magazine shoot.
“There are a couple of suits that specific designers sent down just for you. That’ll determine a lot about the setting, hair and makeup.”
Checking the food bill, she reached inside her bag for money.
“I make enough to pay for lunch,” Mackenzie snapped, reaching for the bill.
“This wasn’t a date. It was a business meeting,” she reminded him. “Loosen up, Mackenzie.” She put a fifty in the leather wallet with the bill to cover her food and glass of wine.
He dug a hundred and a twenty out of his pocket. Opening the leather wallet, he drew her fifty out and placed it on the table.
“Oh, grow up!” Vanessa pushed her chair away from the table and stood. With a clicking of her heels, she headed for the exit.
Outside, Mackenzie caught up with her. “Wait, Vanessa,” he said. “Look, somehow you bring out the worst in me.”
“I could say the same,” she shot back. In her heels, she was nearly as tall as he was. Facing him, she could feel the tension simmering between them.
“Let me drop you off,” he said, dangling a set of keys. “It’ll take a while to get a taxi.”
She wanted to say no. She’d had enough of Mackenzie, but common sense prevailed.
When he drove out of the parking lot in a metallic red BMW Z4 convertible, she was glad she’d relented. He didn’t complain when she asked him to put the top up to preserve her hairstyle, but a question still occupied her mind. Would she be able to work with him, or would she have to work around him?
* * *
Cody was nearly finished with his work in the photography studio when he got the call from Annika. There was a get-together at her complex this evening and she wanted him to come spend time with her, unwind and meet her friends. He seized the opportunity to mingle and check out the condo crowd. He wondered why Vanessa hadn’t told him about the party, but since they were still wrestling with being partners, he let it go.
At seven o’clock that evening, Cody entered Ocean Air, the complex’s restaurant. The buzz of conversation filled the place. It had been decorated to resemble a deck on a cruise ship with oak paneling everywhere and large, port-hole-shaped windows offering breathtaking views of the ocean. Several people sat on lounge furniture and captains’ chairs off to one side of the restaurant and bar. The rest stood in convenient spots and talked while holding drinks.
Cody waded into the crowd of residents that